Keeping your workplace clean and tidy has multiple benefits. Apart from being a necessity when it comes to health and safety, a clean environment can go a long way towards promoting productivity among employees, as well as helping you put your best foot forward when meeting partners and prospective clients.

Cleanliness should be treated as a shared responsibility, not just something that the cleaners deal with - here’s how to encourage your employees to play their part.

Be clear with your expectations

It’s vital that you clearly communicate what’s expected of your employees. If they think that you just want them to focus on their specific role, then it’s natural that they might begin to treat cleaning as a distraction.

If you want your employees to take it seriously, be clear about what you expect from them. Communicate clear guidelines, such as banning snacking at the desk or clearing paper into appropriate filing locations at the end of the working day.

Make resources accessible

If you want employees to take cleaning seriously, then make it easy for them. Make sure that you keep cleaning resources located at accessible locations, such as microfiber cloths and appropriate cleaning sprays.

To promote general cleanliness, you can also make sure that each desk has its own small dustbin, and that there are easily accessible recycling points around the building. Making cleaning easier for your employees will massively increase the probability that they take it seriously.

Set a good example

If you’re in a higher-up position, whether a manager or executive, then it’s important that you set a good example - you want to practice what you preach. Keep your own workspace as clean as possible, and be sure to implement all of the practices that you’re communicating to your employees.

If everyone else sees their boss doing something, they’re a lot more likely to do it themselves. There’s nothing more frustrating than being told to do something by someone who obviously neglects that same task themself.

Integrate cleanliness into the company culture

If you’re serious about keeping the workplace clean, then communicate how important it is, through both symbolic gestures and practical actions with an office cleaning checklist. You can start things such as clean desk recognition awards, and make sure that you hire an excellent cleaning company to help you out with general office cleaning.

By making it clear that cleanliness is something that your organisation as a whole is genuinely dedicated to, you can maximise the chances that your employees take it seriously as well.

Set time aside for cleaning

Finally, cleaning isn’t something that just happens - it takes a little time. If you want employees to take it seriously, then ensure that you set aside a few minutes a day for tidying and cleaning. That might just mean stopping work 10 minutes before the end of the work day, to make sure that there’s time to clean the desk and empty dustbins. It doesn’t take long, but it’s important that these tasks don’t bite into your employees’ free time.

By taking these simple steps, you can help to foster a culture in which your employees take their cleaning responsibilities seriously. It won’t happen overnight, but if you’re consistent, you can expect to see remarkable results.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.